Sign



Jime 3, 1930. P. P. CHAPIN ET AL 1,761,871

SIGN

Fil ed Aug. 4 1928 BY M M.

7 v ATTORNEY..

: Patented June 3, 1930 ,UNITED STATES PATENT oer-"Ice IBHILIP 1?. OHAPIN AND \VILLIAM J'. K UPEC OF NEW YORK, N Y.

sren

Application filed August 4, 1928.

ror receives a skylighted designation and reflects it to the observer. I a 5. The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple,inexpensive, efiicient, and

improved signof the above type, wherewith the same designation may be reflected to the observer in luminous form in darkness, with- 10 out use of artificial light or electric current,

as well as in skylighted form during daylight.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafterappear. a w

In the accompanying drawings,- Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the sign. Fig. 2'is a transverse-sectional side elevation of the sign shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a modi- 29 fication of the-invention.v t

Fig. l-is a longitudinal cross-sectional elevation of the sign member shown in Fig.3. The sign 1 comprises a casing 2 having a roof-wall 3, an oblique wall 4, and upright end-walls 5, to which are preferably secured brackets 6 for fastening the sign in any desired location. Said roof-wall consists of a frame 7 which is secured to the end-walls at 8 and carries a plate 9, preferablyv of glass, on which is painted or otherwise inscribed the desired designation 10. The oblique wall 5 consists of a frame 11 which carries a mirror 12, whereby the said several walls comprising the casing form a darkened chamber 13, the front side of which is open and presents the mirror 12130 view. In making the designation uponthe sign member 8 we utilize such paints or substances as will betranslucent to daylight, and in darkness will be self-luminousor glowing, resort be,- ing had to radio-active materials or compounds having a meso-thorium base, phosphorescent materials or compounds, or any other similarly acting substances, and in 45 making the designations 10 we either produce the characters themselves in the trans lucent self-luminous paintand make the background opaque, or vice versa; or we make the letters in colored translucent paint 0 with the background opaque, or vice versa,

. who thus sees it in the form Serial No. 297,423.

and in either of the latter cases make the outline of the letters in the translucent selfluminous paint.

In the operation of this sign the sunlight or skylight strikes the roof-wall 3 and passing through the translucent designation 10 reflects the latter in the mirror-wall 12, which in turn reflects the designation outwardly horizontally toward the observer. During nighttime or in any darkened situation the self-luminous designation 1O reflects its glow into the mirror 12, which in turn reflects the designation outwardly toward the observer,

p of upright brightly illuminated characters. 7

According to the modification, shown in Figs. 8,4, the characters 15 composin the designation lO are made out of glass tu ing 16. which is filled with any suitable substance 17, preferably in liquid form, that possesses the quality of being self-luminous or glowing in darkness, and at the same time translucent to daylight. The characters 15 are set in in mountings or openings 18 formed in an opaque plate 19, which may be of metal, and when the daylight strikes this plate, or when this sign is brought in'a darkened situation, it produces the same results as those above described in connection with the sign illustrated in Figs. 1, 2. 7

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described our invention, we claim I 1. The combination of a member disposed as a skylight, said member having thereon designations made up of translucent self-lu- Ininous material, and a mirror reflecting the translucent quality of said designations to I the. observer during daylight and reflecting the luminous qualityof said designations to the observer during darkness.

2. The combination of a member disposed as a skylight, said member havin thereon designationscomposed of tubular g ass, said glass being filled with translucent self-luminous material, and a mirror reflecting the translucent quality of said designations to the observer during daylight and reflecting the lumil lous qu llity of sairl designat iqns to 7' Y I the observer during darkness;

Signed atthe city of NewYork, in the county of New York andstate of New York, I 1

August A. D. 1928. i v

this'3rdday of V PHILIP P. CHAPIN.

11WILLIAM5JJKUPEO,I 

